The Greek café’s cold coffee since the early 1990s: a double espresso shaken hard with ice until it is cold and foamy, then poured over fresh ice. Add cold whipped milk and it is a freddo cappuccino.
Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is here for the Iced and Whipped Coffees page.
Ingredients
- 1 double espresso, about 60 ml (2 oz), freshly made
- 0 to 2 teaspoons sugar, stirred into the hot espresso if wanted
- 1 cup ice cubes, for shaking
- 1 cup fresh ice cubes, for the glass
- 60 ml (2 oz) cold milk, optional, for a freddo cappuccino
Directions
- Make the double espresso and, if you take sugar, stir it in while the coffee is hot so it dissolves.
- Put the first cup of ice in a cocktail shaker or a jar with a tight lid, pour the hot espresso over it, close it and hold the lid down while you shake hard for about 15 seconds.
- Fill a short glass with the fresh ice and strain the coffee over it, so the half-melted shaking ice stays behind; a pale foam sits on top.
- For a freddo cappuccino, whip the cold milk with a milk frother or in a closed jar until it is thick and holds its shape, and spoon it on top of the coffee.
Notes
Where this comes from After the method described in To Vima (11 May 2026): a double espresso shaken violently with ice in a metal mixer and poured over fresh ice; the freddo cappuccino adds cold milk foam (afrógala). The paper credits Yiannis Iosifides of Kafea Terra with the invention; the usual date, 1991 in Athens, is unsourced. Safety Hot liquid shaken in a closed jar builds a little pressure: hold the lid and open it away from your face. The photo A freddo espresso in a short glass with a straw, 2015.